YM778.TV Chapter 160 - 155: Direct Breakthrough 1
Qin Niu stared at the apprentice alchemist, instantly subjecting the other to tremendous pressure.
“A success rate below 1%, and you still dare to think about refining this Beast Core for me? To put it bluntly, take a piss and look at yourself.”
“Please don’t misunderstand, I want to check the size and quality of the Beast Core so as to invite the Chief Alchemist. Otherwise, he would definitely scold me.”
The apprentice hurriedly explained.
His status in Miaodan Pavilion might be acceptable, but before the Chief Alchemist, he could only behave like a grandson.
“I’m afraid I cannot let you examine it here.”
Qin Niu swept his gaze around, surrounded by people.
Where there are many people, there will be mixed theories, and he did not want to invite any trouble. Wealth should not be flaunted; such a large Beast Core could easily attract unwanted attention.
“Please follow me!”
Understanding Qin Niu’s concerns, the apprentice immediately led him into a private reception room.
Xiao Qing took the initiative to close the doors and stand guard outside.
“Is this Beast Core capable of enticing your Chief Alchemist?”
Qin Niu didn’t beat around the bush and directly revealed the King Pig Beast Core.
Upon seeing the Beast Core, the apprentice couldn’t help but shudder, and then, his eyes gradually bulged in disbelief.
Gulp!
He swallowed hard.
“I will go and invite the Chief Alchemist right away, please wait a moment!”
This once arrogant apprentice couldn’t help but use a respectful title when addressing Qin Niu.
After he left, it wasn’t long before a disheveled, stubbly middle-aged man hurried in. The man, unkempt and with dirt on his face, looked like a beggar who had been on the streets for years.
The purple robe he wore, embroidered with an alchemical cauldron on the chest, signified that he was a bona fide alchemist.
But the purple robe was stained and grimy, his hair clumped and tangled, as if he hadn’t washed it for a long time.
This alchemist really didn’t seem to care for his appearance.
“Are you the one who wants to refine a Beast Core?”
“Mhm.”
Qin Niu did not rush to take out the Beast Core, as his first impression of the man was poor.
“I heard that your Beast Core is the size of a soybean? Show it to me.”
“The person I am looking to find is Master Zi Zhou, the Chief Alchemist!”
He definitely wanted the alchemist with the highest success rate to refine his Elixir.
“I am Zi Zhou.”
The middle-aged man stated and then revealed his identity badge.
It was a Silver Fish Medallion.
Within the entire territory of the Black Tiger Gang, there were likely no more than two hundred people who possessed a silver badge.
Such individuals already belonged to the upper echelons of the Black Tiger Gang.
It was hard to imagine such a dignified figure, also the Chief Alchemist of Miaodan Pavilion, dressing so shabbily. If he were to take off his purple alchemist robe and be thrown onto the street, everyone would definitely believe he was a bona fide beggar.
“So, you are Master Zi Zhou, I’ve been disrespectful!”
Qin Niu chuckled to himself.
It seemed that truly powerful individuals did not care much for appearances.
He took out the Beast Core and placed it on the table.
“What a large Beast Core. Its dark yellow color, subdued brilliance, I haven’t seen a Beast Core of this caliber in two or three years.”
As he spoke, Master Zi Zhou bent down, propped himself on the table with both hands, then brought his nose close to the Beast Core, sniffing at its scent.
He even focused and closed his eyes.
“It’s a King Pig’s Beast Core, containing immense energy, fairly pure, the quality is quite good. However, this Beast Core from the King Pig was not formed through bitter cultivation, but likely from consuming some heaven- and-earth treasures, which led to such a large core with a lower purity than high-quality cores, and its internal energy is not very condensed. The drawback is that the Elixir refined from it will have weaker effects.
The advantage is a much higher chance of successfully creating the Elixir.”
Everything in the world has two sides.
Where there are advantages, there will be disadvantages; the perfect being or object does not exist.
“This Beast Core can be refined into a defensive type Elixir, which is for one-time use and cannot enhance one’s cultivation rank. But after taking it, one would gain a very strong defensive barrier. Within the Acquired Realm, it would be practically unbreakable for six hours.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Niu immediately shook his head.
This was not what he wanted.
He had no desire to become like that timid little turtle, hiding in its shell.
The best defense is a good offense.
Passively taking hits was not his style.
“Then refine an Elixir that enhances cultivation rank. Even though this large Beast Core does not have very condensed internal energy, it should still be enough to propel your cultivation from the first level to above the ninth level of the Acquired Realm. It might even directly help you break through the next stage.”
Master Zi Zhou could easily see through Qin Niu’s current cultivation rank.
This made Qin Niu respect and become even more curious about the Chief Alchemist.
Xiao Qing’s face showed a shocked expression.
She had not expected her master to be so powerful, already a high-level expert in the Acquired Realm.
Those above the fifth level of the Mortal Realm could also be called experts.
But that needed to be put in quotation marks.
Because they could only bully ordinary people; facing those in the Acquired Realm, they would be out of their depth in minutes.
“May I ask how much the cost is?”
Qin Niu licked his lips.
If a Beast Core could directly help him break through to the Acquired Realm, that would be too tempting.
“For refining a Beast Core of this level, the fee is 180 taels of silver. Alchemy involves risks, and whether the refinement is successful or not, the fee is non- refundable. If you bring more Beast Cores for refinement in the future, I can give you a VIP card from Miaodan Pavilion, allowing you an eight percent discount on both alchemy and purchasing elixirs.”
Upon hearing the price quoted by the other party, Qin Niu instinctively clutched his purse tighter.
He thought that after selling a Green Giant Hornet and accepting a business commission of a hundred taels of silver, he was wealthy.
But he hadn’t expected it was only enough to cover the cost of refining a single Beast Core.
That’s expensive.
“Could the price be a little more favorable? It really is a bit too expensive.”
Qin Niu inquired.
Even with a twenty percent discount, it would still be 144 taels of silver.
That amount could buy dozens of Tempering Elixirs.
“Expensive? Do you know how much a successfully refined elixir can sell for?”
Master Zi Zhou was so irritated he blew on his beard.
He kept grabbing at his own hair.
Perhaps, someone like him who was engrossed in alchemy was not good at haggling with people.
“I don’t know.”
Qin Niu shook his head honestly.
“At the very least, it would be worth over two thousand taels of silver. Right now, if you were to sell the Beast Core, at most you could get around eight hundred taels of silver. Successful refinement could double its value.”
Qin Niu was astonished to learn that the Beast Core could sell for as much as eight hundred taels of silver.
Making money in the big mountains was too easy.
But he didn’t consider that without the Ink Blade, he probably wouldn’t have been able to breach the King Pig’s defenses.
Ordinary people, even if the entire population of Shuangfeng Village’s able- bodied men were mobilized to besiege the King Pig, would not be able to harm it in the slightest.
To an ordinary person, eight hundred taels of silver were a huge sum of money.
But for someone capable of slaying the King Pig, it was just a standard income.
“Still, you make a killing with your technique! Just tossing it into the furnace for refinement, and you charge such a hefty fee. Can it be discounted further, please?”
Qin Niu thought at most fifty taels of silver would be the limit.
“You, how should I explain this to you! Refining elixirs is not as simple as you think. The value of the auxiliary materials alone exceeds one hundred taels of silver, and we also invest a great deal of manpower and resources. Giving you an eight percent discount, the actual profit from refining this Beast Core for you wouldn’t exceed twenty taels of silver. Do you know how much it costs to train an apprentice to my level? It requires refining four to five thousand batches of elixirs.
In the early stages, due to imprecise control over the amount of auxiliary materials, the heat, and the timing of collecting the elixir, being able to successfully refine one batch out of ten was considered extremely fortunate.
Moreover, to refine your Beast Core, a Purple Gold alchemy furnace is necessary, and each use incurs significant wear and tear.
The fuel is also not a small expense. To temper such a large Beast Core, the furnace heat must reach white-hot levels, which requires the use of high- quality charcoal and beast fat to ensure the temperature can reach that intensity. Additionally, regular additions of beast fat are needed to stabilize the flames, or else the furnace could explode…”
Master Zi Zhou detailed every aspect of the costs to him.
To train an apprentice to his level would probably cost more than a mountain of silver.
Auxiliary materials, fuel for alchemy, and wear and tear on the furnace were all additional costs Qin Niu hadn’t considered.
At such extreme temperatures, a regular furnace would not be able to withstand it and would simply explode.
The specially made Purple Gold furnace was incredibly expensive.
That sum of silver stored in a bank to accumulate interest would be quite considerable, too.
“Alright, alright, 180 taels with a twenty percent discount makes it 144 taels. I agree. Please take special care, Master Zi Zhou. If our initial collaboration goes well, I’ll definitely seek you out in the future.”
Qin Niu sighed inwardly as his silver from selling the hornet had barely warmed up before it was to be spent again.
“Rest assured, alchemy is my entire life. Such a high-grade Beast Core, I might only encounter once every two or three years, so I will value it even more. I’ll have someone come over right away to handle the paperwork for you. I currently have five batches of elixirs that need to be refined, so it will probably be half a month before I can start on yours. Leave your address and I will send someone to find you then. Let’s be clear upfront, once the deposit is paid, you can’t easily back out.
If during this period your elixir is lost, sold to someone else, or refined by another alchemist, it all constitutes a breach of contract.
The deposit is non-refundable, and Miaodan Pavilion will no longer accept your orders in the future.”
Master Zi Zhou clarified some details regarding the agreement.
Integrity is the foundation of a person.
As the Chief Alchemist of Miaodan Pavilion, accepting this order meant that he had to postpone other clients’ orders.
He might even have to actively forego some orders.
If Qin Niu were to go back on his word, it would cause significant losses for Miaodan Pavilion.
After Master Zi Zhou hurriedly left, Miaodan Pavilion’s staff quickly arrived to assist him with the relevant procedures.
In essence, it was about signing a commission agreement.
Qin Niu needed to pay in advance the alchemy fee, considered a deposit.
It was also a gesture of his sincerity.
Once everything was handled, Qin Niu left Miaodan Pavilion with Xiao Qing.
Since it was their first transaction, he did not dare to leave the Beast Core there.
Money moves the heart, and no one could guarantee that Miaodan Pavilion wouldn’t be tempted.
About half a month later, someone would come to Shuangfeng Village to find him. Then, it would be enough to hand over the Beast Core.
As the owner of the Beast Core, he had the right to supervise Master Zi Zhou’s refinement process. During this period, Miaodan Pavilion would cover his board and lodging.
The ability to conduct business on such a large scale spoke volumes about their service.”